For most part of my stint as KKR leader, I have always been one of the boys: easy-going, relaxed, and a bit of a prankster.
Any quality player can adjust well to the different demands. It is like a good tennis player who is expected to adjust to the clay at the French Open, the grass at Wimbledon, the hard courts of the U.S. and the heat of the Australian Open. A professional is expected to do all that.
A small country like Israel has compulsory military training. But countries like India, that are so much bigger, have no compulsory military training, so people don't understand how the military functions. They have no knowledge of how it works, no respect for it.
I love discussing my game with people who have similar mindsets.
The day I feel like I can't contribute to the team's success, that's the day I am going to call it quits.
I would never go to a cinema hall to watch a biopic on a cricketer. I am not a big fan of people making biopics on sportsmen, especially cricketers. I think there are far bigger people who have done much more for the country, and films should be made on them.
Sportsmen do not need Bollywood or film industry; they do not need publicity: it could be the other way round.
Cricket is a team game. If you want fame for yourself, go play an individual game.
Sometimes in a team game, the entire spotlight is on one man.
My mood depends on how I treat my toothbrushes. Being a skipper is a strenuous job, and when you are going through a rough phase, obviously you start taking out your frustration. You can't take it out on anyone: you can't take it out on your teammates or your wife. The only person that is left is your toothbrush.
I grew up playing on unprepared surfaces where your wicket depended on quickly adapting to the bounce. As a kid, I could never differentiate off-spin from leg-spin. All I looked to do was to try to hit the ball before it pitched.